Key Senator Joe Manchin urges Biden to resign as polls show Trump rising

Biden’s ability to defend himself is limited; he isolates himself with COVID-19 He has been in his Delaware home since Wednesday. His health is reportedly improving, but his public appearances have been limited to a series of attacks on Trump on social media.

US President Joe Biden, left, with Senator Joe Manchin. On Sunday, Manchin urged Biden to drop his re-election bid. Photo: AP — U.S. President Joe Biden, left, with Senator Joe Manchin. On Sunday, Manchin urged Biden to drop his re-election bid. Photo: AP

Meanwhile, a new poll from the crucial state of Michigan, where Trump, whose right ear was bandaged from the recent attempt on his life, held a raucous rally on Saturday, brought grim news for the president.

The poll, which began the day Trump was injured at a rally in Pennsylvania and ended as he accepted his party’s nomination in Milwaukee, showed Trump with a 49 percent lead over Biden, up from 42 percent in a state the Democrat won by three percentage points four years ago.

The Epic-MRA poll showed Trump doubling his lead since the last poll on June 27, just before the presidential debate that proved disastrous for the president. The poll even gave Trump a small lead in metro Detroit, normally a safe Democratic area.

Another poll by ABC News and Ipsos found that Trump has the highest national approval rating in years: 40 percent, up from the mid-30s, no doubt fueled by the successful Republican convention and a groundswell of sympathy following the attempt on his life.

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The seeming deluge of bad news for Biden has led to furious speculation about what he might do — and who might replace him if he steps aside.

Many see Vice President Kamala Harris as a logical successor, but several Democrats favor an approach that would allow her and some of the party’s rising stars to make their case.

Manchin called for an “open process” in his appearance on CNN, citing what he called the deep pool of talent within the party.

By stepping aside, Manchin added, Biden could use his remaining months in office to “unite our country” and “bring the world together.”

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by US Secret Service agents after a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Photo: AP — Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is surrounded by U.S. Secret Service agents after a shooting at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on July 13. Photo: AP

Some Republicans, meanwhile, are already opposing such a late-campaign appointment.

House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN that Democrats would face “legal hurdles” in some states and “have a real problem.”

Vice President Harris is facing increasing criticism from both sides, with the Trump campaign reportedly preparing attack lines.

Even some Democrats who strongly support Biden have become more cautious in their statements, unsure how the tense situation will develop.

South Carolina Congressman James Clyburn, a Black lawmaker who gave Biden a crucial endorsement in 2020, told CNN: “I support Joe Biden and he will be the nominee if he stays in the race.”

Asked if Biden was the best candidate to take on Trump, he said, “I believe he’s as good as they can be,” but then added, “Is he the only one? No, he’s not the only one.

“I’ll stay with him until he changes his mind.”